PERTH, Aug 10 AAP - Australian Test vice captain Adam Gilchrist has expressed fears for the future of the International Cricket Council's (ICC) Test world championship.

The competition is in jeopardy following No.1 ranked Australia's decision to pull out of a three-Test series in Pakistan amid security concerns.

The championship, which involves a complicated points system, requires the ten nations involved regularly playing home and away series to determine their rankings.

The Pakistan Cricket Board's (PCB) revived threats to boycott Australia in retaliation for the tour cancellation could also damage the championship's credibility.

"It is going to make it difficult to determine, because a lot of that was based on home and away wasn't it," Gilchrist said.

Gilchrist hoped the championship would survive the aftermath of the Australian Cricket Board's decision to cancel the Pakistan tour.

"Hopefully it can still maintain a bit of momentum during this difficult challenge," he said.

"But as I say, I certainly don't hope that forever and a day that teams won't go to Pakistan, hopefully things can settle down.

He said the Australians would try to uphold their elevated status in world cricket whatever happened.

"We will certainly take our position as No.1 very seriously and try and win games wherever we are," he said.

The 30-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman, who was recently rated the best cricketer in the world by his peers, said he just hoped he would get the opportunity to play Test cricket in Pakistan down the track.

"That is a major disappointment, and hopefully come the end of my career I don't look back and say I never got the chance to go there and play Test cricket," he said.

"But that disappointment, being honest, is levelled up with a relief that I or teammates aren't going and being put in potentially dangerous situations, then your families worry a little bit."

He had been looking forward to returning to the sub-continent, the scene of the only Test series loss in his 31-match career.

In one of the rare low points in the West Australian's glittering international career he followed a century with scores of 0,0,1,1, as Australia lost 2-1 in a remarkable Test series in India last year.

".....we went so close and yet so far from winning the series," he said.

"I suppose every non-Asian team wants to go to the sub-continent and win, it is always a challenge and high on the priority list."

Gilchrist has scored 2160 Test runs at an average of 60.

© 2002 AAP

This report does not necessarily represent the views of the Australian Cricket Board.